Forgive me
by lowi
Summary: James Sirius Potter is searching for his best friend, since he has insulted her and want to tell her he is sorry, and something else... Is it even worth go looking for her?


He finds her sitting in one of the Hogwarts towers, all by herself. At least he found her, he persuades himself.

"Hey!" She looks up when she hears his call, and he wants to kill himself when he realizes that she's been crying.

"What do you want?" She wipes her tears away and straightens up. The look he gets is hard, strong. He knows that she would never admit that he has hurt her, and he can't help admiring her strength even now. Now, while knowing that it would probably never ever be the same between them.

"I just wanted to…" He reaches down to touch her elbow suddenly, but she shudders and leans away. He feels as something inside him is cracking open when sees that she can't bear him even touching her. Trying to be strong, he pretends that he wasn't going to comfort her, but only using his hand as support when sitting down. When he does, she flinches, but at least she doesn't move away any further. Instead, she keeps gazing out the window.

He opens his mouth, to say it. He had been wanting to do it ever since that crappy moment when he wasn't using his brain (as usual, he knows that, yes thank you), but hadn't found her until now.

But she is faster.

"James, why are you here?" Her voice is full of hurt, but he can see that she is furious. "With _me_?" She spits out the "me". "A Slytherin?"

"Soph…" He wants her so badly. To understand, that is.

"I don't see it!" she shakes her head, but she still hasn't met his eyes even once.

"Let me just explain…"

"Why would you _want_ to explain? Didn't you just for an hour ago told everyone in our whole year that you wouldn't want to even touch me, 'cause I'm a slimy snake? Or did I mishear you?" Anger is flashing in her blue eyes, her cheeks are burning, and he is seriously considering open that window which her eyes are fixed at and jump.

"You didn't", he says quietly.

"Yeah, I didn't!"

"But Soph…"

She stands up, pointing her wand at him. "Don't call me that again, Potter." She is so upset that she doesn't know what to do; she just wants to get away from him. That is a least what she tells herself, trying to ignore the little part of her that _doesn't _want to get away from him.

He looks at her, simply enough. She turns around, aiming for the door, but he shouts at her:

"Nott! Stay here!" She swirls around, and finds that his wand is drawn as well and that he also has risen from the floor.

"Don't you dare telling me what to do and don't!" She is a bit alarmed, though, with him towering up above her and with darker than usual brown eyes flashing dangerously. He is, after all, almost a head taller than her. And, she guesses, all his quidditch practice has probably made him quite brawny. But it's just a guess. Of course she's never thought of this before. Of course.

Out of a sudden, the anger is gone and he lowers his wand. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry." His brown eyes aren't meeting hers, but stubbornly looking at a spot somewhere near her knees. She melts a bit. Just a bit, though.

"You know, you can't really be hoping that you can say you're sorry and then we go skipping away as nothing has ever happened."

"I know! But Sophie, see, I don't know why I said that! I just was freaking scared."

"Of what?" She is wrinkling her forehead as she always does when she is confused, and even though the whole situation he can't help noticing how cute she looks. Hey, where did that come from?

He hesitates before answering, trying to clear his mind. "Letting everyone…" his cheeks are flushing. "… including you, know about my feelings for you." He is surprised, he really said it. But she is even more surprised. And happy, happier than ever, but what she lets him see is just a smirk. She _is _a Slytherin after all.

"What do you mean, letting _everyone _see?"

"My family. I have no idea what they would say. Or do."

"You mean that I'm a, how did you put it? A slimy snake?"

He groans. "Soph, I am really sorry about that."

She continues, not really listening to his begging. "So you think that your family would despise you, because of your…" she is pretending to be having to look for the right word. "Ah, revolting behavior."

He shrugs.

"They would surely", she says ironically. "Because they were so despising your best friend and cousin Louis when he quitted school in forth year and moved to your uncle Charlie. And despising Albus when he befriended a _Malfoy_. Your father's sworn archenemy's _son_. I really think your family is quite used to rebellion by now, actually."

He starts realizing that she's right, but can't help trying to defend himself. "But Scorp's a Gryffindor." Seeing how she glares at him, he sees that it was quite a lame argument and regret it at once.

"You know what; everything isn't about which house you're in. Just because my grandfather was a stupid death eater and my father nearly as bad for a while, it doesn't mean I'm that too. Isn't Scorpius a proof for that? And the fact that I'm one of the few half blood there ever have been in Slytherin? So why can't you just letting me be a Slytherin? I didn't choose it, you know."

They stand there, he merely looks at her, but she is furious now.

"Actually, everything changed when Louis moved." She is surprised though, over her own words. What she says makes sense, right, but she is astonished that she hasn't realized this before.

"What on earth are you talking about?"

"Last year, you and Louis were the most popular guys at school, you were doing whatever you wanted, and everybody still loved you. Even the teachers."

He wants to object to this, but she continues, so absorbed in her new idea that she doesn't care about his small "buts". And knowing her, he doesn't tries harder. He has done that, and it wasn't a pretty sight.

"But then", she continues. "Louis left everything _and_ you here, behind. I have seen it, or now I see that I have seen it. You haven't been the same joking James without a care in the life as you used to be. But the biggest change, when you were with Louis you didn't give a crap of what everyone else was thinking about you. Now, you don't want to tell your family about your friend just because she is a Slytherin."

He knows that she is right and she knows that as well. But realizing why he has acted so oddly all year is quite reassuring for her.

"Sophie, forgive me, please. I am a stupid git."

"I know you are." She sees that he is so ashamed of himself that she can't help it, but she does as he asked her. Forgives him.

She walks to him slowly. Looking up in his eyes, she just decides to go for it. She kisses him, like she's been wanting to do for years. Then she pulls away, which makes him put on his puppy-dog eyes. She whacks him over his head.

"James Sirius Potter, you are a stupid git, and it was you who said it first, so you can't scold me." She smirks, of course, what else did you expect of a Slytherin?

He smiles while rubbing his head. "Ouch, Sophie", he says pouting. "I think you have to kiss me again to ease the pain."

"Oh do I?" she asks with faked surprise. "Git", she says with a smile before their lips are meeting one more time.


End file.
